At a certain point in my business, I hit a major wall.
Don’t hear me wrong. I love my work, and I was working with amazing clients...but, I was feeling the burn.
I was working later and later hours, and I was neglecting the things that put me in my happy place.
Things like going for my run and spending quality time with my guy, bonus son, and friends.
I reasoned you have to choose. Which, we do. We all have to prioritize and choose. The problem was I was choosing me last.
I had it in my head that this was a temporary sprint and necessary for the growth of my business. Except that sprint turned into a marathon with diminishing returns.
The thing is, I am my business. I'm the product. I’m the brand. I don’t have a completely passive business model. So if I’m feeling off, it translates into how I show up for my work.
Maybe you can relate to this.
I found out the hard way that our emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing doesn't only affect us, it affects every aspect of our lives from our relationships, to our health, to our businesses.
Brendon Burchard talks about this in his new book, High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way. He shares, “As you might expect, it takes a lot of energy to succeed over the long haul. High performers have the magical trifecta of capital “E” Energy —that holistic kind that includes positive and enduring mental, physical, and emotional vibrancy. It’s the key force that helps them perform better in many areas of their life.”
He goes on to share that studies show having low mental, emotional, and physical energy affect overall performance in our life, and the flip side is also true. Burchard says, “Bottom line: The more energy someone has, the more likely they are to be happy and climb to the top of their primary field of interest.”
Creating and sustaining energy is true self-care that goes deeper than a weekly mani-pedi and benefits us and our work.
Are you living off coffee and a few hours of sleep, skipping the gym, and telling yourself you’ll eat greens when you have time to make a salad? No judgment, I’ve definitely been there.
Do you feel foggy and unclear? Stuck in your head? Unable to make decisions?
Are you avoiding plans with your friends? Snapping at loved ones?
Do you feel like you’re drowning and breathing through a straw? Pretty sure I’ve used these exact words in the past, so again, no judgment, but if some of these feel more like the norm, it might be time to take a look at how this is affecting your business and overall wellbeing.
Let's think about sustainability and creating success from the inside-out. This doesn’t mean you have to “slow down” in the literal sense of the phrase. Here’s the irony of taking care of ourselves first - it often leads to more productivity.
Since I’ve “slowed down” and put myself back in first place, my efficiency and productivity have gone up, not down.
I’m not sitting over here curled up in a ball avoiding life or my work. Instead, I feel full, energized, and ready to serve.
This is a deeper topic than a single blog post, but I'd like to plant the seed and encourage you to take a holistic view of your version of success. Check in with your energy levels (emotional, physical, mental) and see where you fall on a scale of 1-10 (one being the lowest, ten being the highest).
Where are you not at a 10?
What do you need to change, remove, or start doing to increase your energy to a 10 in this area?
How will increasing your energy improve your overall happiness and business success? (I mean, I know it will, studies say it will, but it can be powerful to identify this for yourself.)
What is one thing you can shift to create more energy in your life and business?
If you're feeling the burn, I hope this will inspire you to take a look at where your energy is going.
Your business and life aren’t a race. There isn’t a prize for who gets there first. But, I promise you, you'll get "there" a whole lot faster with more energy.
Wishing you your version of success,
P.S. Have you ever felt burnt out in your business? Let me know in the comments below. Sharing your experience might help someone else! XO
